Weather in New Caledonia

Located a few kilometers north of the tropic of Capricorne , New Caledonia experiences a very nice climate. The weather in New Caledonia is characterized by :

Trade winds. They blow most of the year from the East to South East. They never become very strong.

Tropical temperatures, moderated by the ocean that surrounds the islands

it is generally said that New Caledonia has not 4 but 2 seasons: the cool season and the summer.

Temperatures are just right all year long:

Temperatures are in low 20s during the cool period and in the low 30s during the summer season.

During the peak of summer, daytime temperature reach 29°C on average. If you add humidity, it can feel quite hot. But it never becomes extremely hot. Record for the maximum temperature in Nouméa is 36°C, well below the 46°C record of Melbourne.

On the other hand, weather never gets really cold in New Caledonia (although locals says so!) . The average daytime temperature in July in Nouméa is 22°C which is close to the average daytime temperature of Sydney in October or April.

Temperatures of the sea are all year long between 22 and 28°C, making it an ideal temperature for all activitites such as snorkelling, scuba diving or swimming in the blue.

Rainfall:

Nouméa gets on average 1 meter of rainfall during a year. This is close to the average of Brisbane, but with a main difference : rainfall in Nouméa is more evenly distributed all over the year.

Cyclones:

Although they remain rare, New Caledonia does experience severe cyclones from time to time. Cyclones generally hit the island between November and April.

Sun:

Under such latitudes, be aware that the sun beats down and you should expect extreme UV indices most of the year.

When is the best period to visit the island?

We recommend to visit the island from May to November. when rainy days are less common and temperature more pleasant. But if you like aquatic activities, don’t be afraid to visit during the summer when you can spend hours underwater without feeling cold.